Phoenix Film Office exploring methods to boost marketing

Phoenix's traditionally robust film industry took a dive this year, with moviemakers and commercial producers spending $9.5 million less in fiscal year 2009-10 than the year before.

The decrease has the city's film office looking for ways to boost marketing efforts and maintain the industry as an economic engine.

The numbers come from a year-end economic impact report from the Phoenix Film Office.

The report estimates that people working on film and commercial shoots in Phoenix spent about $24.6 million locally, a nearly 28 percent drop compared to the prior year.

When commercials or movies are shot in Phoenix, crews often come into town or Valley people are hired to work on projects. They're often spending money on hotels, car rentals, catering, construction, equipment rental and other items needed to get the work done.

Phil Bradstock, program manager for the city's film office, attributes the dip to the economic recession.

"We're noticing the amount of crew people and shooting days is consistent, but the budgets seem to be lower on a per-project basis," Bradstock said. "It's kind of what we see with all businesses tightening their belts and doing more with less."

In the last fiscal year, more than 380 projects were shot in Phoenix.

Crews booked more than 5,200 hotel nights and spent about 1,650 days shooting everything from documentaries and music videos to movies and reality television shows.

Projects ranged from commercials for Red Bull to an episode of "Wife Swap" to "Everything Must Go," a film starring Will Ferrell.

The movie was shot in an Arcadia neighborhood from March into late April and is expected to debut at the Toronto International Film Festival later this year.

"The production company established their production offices within Arcadia and, as a result, purchased most of their expendables, food, construction materials, clothing, etc. with neighboring businesses that would not normally participate in the moviemaking industry," according to the economic report.

That revenue is something the city wants to maintain, Bradstock said, but the recession isn't the only challenge to Phoenix's film industry.

Tax incentives offered by the state for major motion pictures are due to sunset in December. Bradstock and others in the local film community worry that producers will cross Phoenix off their lists of possible locations unless the incentive is renewed.

"We're already seeing jobs and people going to New Mexico or Los Angeles because people think we won't have the incentive program anymore," Bradstock said.

Almost every state offers tax incentives for the film industry, said Randy Murray, producer/director of Phoenix-based Randy Murray Productions.

He said the incentive is important if Phoenix wants to stay competitive and keep reaping the economic benefits from the film industry.

A bill to renew the incentive didn't make it for a vote in the last legislative session, but the film industry will try again later this year, Murray said.

Along with the direct economic impact, Murray said there are other benefits to the state's film business:

"When you see the beauty we have to offer on the big screen, it just does wonders for tourism. It shows us off."